Cashier&#39;s station for self-service stores



Feb. 5,1 1963 W. POTRAFKE CASHIERS STATION FOR SELF -SERVICE STORESFiled April 11. 1960 United States Patent Ofifice 3,076,528 PatentedFeb. 5, 1963 The present invention relates to cashiers stations forself-service stores. In self-service stores the customer usually takesthe goods to be bought by him to the cashiers station in a basket or thelike whereupon the cashier checks the individual goods, enters the sameinto the cash register and collects the money for the goods.

After the cashier has returned the change, she would be able to takecare of the next customer if it were not for the fact that she eitherhas to wait until the customer has placed the goods into a bag or sheherself has put the goods into a bag. This packing either by the cashieror the customer at the cashiers station considerably slows down theentire cashiering inasmuch as the next following customers have to waittill the goods last paid for have been packed.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention so to design acashiersstation thatthe cashier after having taken in the money from acustomer can immediately take care of the checking and cashiering of thegoods of the next customer.

It is another object of this invention to provide a cashiers stationwhich while speeding up the cashiering operation will still give therespective customer sufficient time to pack the goods bought by thecustomer.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a cashiersstation of the above mentioned type which will be simple in constructionand easy to operate.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear moreclearly from the following specification in connection with theaccompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a cashiers station according to theinvention together with a turnable conveyor belt and a plurality ofreceiver stations.

FIG. 2 is a section along the line IIII of FIG. 1.

FIG. 2a illustrates a detail of FIG. 2 but on a larger scale than thelatter. I

FIG. 3 is a top view of the entire arrangement.

' General Arrangement According to the present invention, there isprovided a conveyorwhich picks up the cashiered goods and is adapted tobe turned about a vertical axis so that it can be moved into a pluralityofpositions. Furthermore, there are provided a plurality of receivingstations remote from the cashier, with which receiving stations the saidconveyor belt can be selectively aligned by the cashier so that the saidconveyor belt will deposit the cashiered goods at the respectiveselected receiving station from where the customer will then pick up thegoods and pack the same. The entry or loading side of the conveyorbelt'is so located that the cashier can easily deposit the cashieredgoods upon said conveyor belt. The receiving stations which receive thegoods from the unloading end of said conveyor are spaced from thecashier by such a distance that the customer at said receiving stationswill not interfere with the new customers at the cashiers place. Thenumber of the receiving stations and the corresponding number ofpossible positions of said conveyor belt may be selected in conformitywith the average requirements. As a rule, three possible positions ofthe conveyor belt will sufiice corresponding to three receivingstations. Any type of customary or standard locking means may beprovided for securing the conveyor belt in the respective selectedposit-ion, e.g. a pin and a bore to be engaged thereby.

According to a further development of the invention, the vertical axisof rotation for the turnable conveyor belt is arranged near the loadingend of the belt, and the frame or support for the conveyor has its otherend guided on a curved rail preferably by means of wheels. At both sidesof the conveyor belt there may be provided side walls which are higherthan the conveyor belt-proper for preventing goods on said belt fromaccidentally dropping off therefrom.

Structural Arrangement Referring now to the drawing in detail, thearrangement shown therein comprises a seat 10 for the cashier and a cashregister 11 to be operated by the cashier. The reference numeral 12designates the table in front of the cashier where the goods to bebought are placed within reach of the cashier so that. the latter caneasily handle and cashier the same. Adjacent the table 12 there isarranged the loading end of an endless conveyor belt 16 which passesover the front roller 15 to and around the rear deviating roller 17. Theconveyor belt 16 is supported by a supporting frame structure 22 whichis rotatably journalled by means of a vertical stud or pivot 18 and isguided on a curved rail or track 19 by means of rollers 20. Signs 1, 2and 3 respectively designate the three discharging stations 21, 21a and21b respectively.-

FIG. 1 shows in full line the conveyor belt 16 in its intermediateposition in which it is'aligned with the discharging station 21a so thatthe goods on the conveyor belt 16 will be discharged into the receivingstation 21a. When the conveyor belt 16 occupies the position shown indash lines in FIG. 1, it will feed the goods into. receiving station21b, whereas, if the conveyor belt 16 occupies the position shown indot-dash lines in FIG. 1, the conveyor belt 16 will feed the goods tothe receiving station 21. The conveyor belt 16 is flanked bylateralwalls 23 for preventing the goods from accidentally leaving the conveyorbelt. The various receiving stationsare separated-from each other byside walls 24. The bottom of the various receiving stations has beendesignated with the reference numeral 25. The receiving stations may bedesigned as rectangular compartments open at the top and at the frontand may have a portion of their bottom inclined as shown in FIG. 2 sothat the goods will slide from the conveyor belt 16 to the front of therespective compartment. However, if the local conditions should make itdesirable, the receiving stations may be arranged in a star-shapedmanner arround the axis of rotation of the conveyor supporting framestructure 22..

In order to assure a smooth movement of the goods from the conveyor belt16 to the bottom of the individual receiving station compartments, aguiding or discharging panel 27 may be arranged at the discharging endof the conveyor belt so that it will form a continuation of the upperbelt portion and will just protrude from the discharging end of theconveyor belt into the respective compartment over the adjacent bottomportion thereof. This panel may be designed as a flap which is tiltablymounted on arms or supports 28 (see FIG. 2a) and is adapted to be tiltedabout a horizontal shaft 26; i .The flap or gate 27 will rest on thebottom 25 of the respective receiving compartment either by its ownweight or by a spring (not shown in the drawing).

For receiving the change from the cashier, a changereceiving tray 30 maybe providedwhich extends above the receiving stations and extends in adirection transverse to the feeding direction of the conveyor belt 16.The .tray 30 is supported by supports. 29 mounted on the side walls 24of the receiving stations The tray has to be arranged so that it caneasily be reached by the cashier and also by the customer standing atthe receiving stations. The cash-receiving tray is preferablychannel-shaped. The receiving tray is at that side thereof which isadjacent the unloading end of conveyor belt 16, provided with a numberof inclined plates 31 leading into the change-receiving tray 30.

When the cash register is provided with an automatic change dispenser32, the latter may be mounted above the conveyor belt 16 and may besupported by the frame structure 22 by means of a frame 33. In this way,the change dispenser 32 can be turned together with the conveyor belt.The change dispenser 32 is connected to the cash register 11 by means ofa control cable 34 (FIG. 2). The dispensing spout 35 of the changedispenser 32 is so arranged that said spout will be located above theinclined plates 31 when the conveyor belt is brought into alignment withthe respective receiving station. The dispensing spout may be providedwith a central opening 36 through which the change will drop onto therespective plate 31 from where it will slide onto the tray 30. Thisarrangement has the advantage that the path of the discharge spout ofthe change dispenser 32 is located outside the tray so that the customerwill be able in an unimpeded manner to withdraw his change from thetray. Instead of providing individual inclined plates 31, the tray 30may be adjacent a continuous upper inclined plate.

Operation The arrangement according to the present invention operates inthe following manner. The customer places the goods to be purchased uponthe table 12 in front of the cashier who then ascertains and registersby means of a cash register the value of each individual purchased item.Already prior thereto, she may allot a certain receiving compartment 1,2 or 3 to the respective customer who may immediately move directly tothe respective compartment. The cashier wiil at that time have broughtthe conveyor belt into alignment with the respective allotted receivingcompartment. With the registering of each item, the cashier places therespective item on the conveyor belt 16 which then conveys therespective item to the allotted compartment.

After the cashier has totalled the individual amounts and advised thecustomer accordingly, the latter places the required amount of moneyupon the tray 30. If the amount of money placed upon the tray 30 exceedsthe actual purchase price, and if the payment is effected by means of alarger money bill, the change in coins is dispensed by the changedispenser. change consists of money bills, these will be placed manuallyby the cashier on the tray 30.

While the customer is now busy with the collecting of the change and thepacking of the goods, the customer is completely out of the way for thenext customer so that the goods of the latter can immediately beregistered by the cashier.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is, by nomeans, limited to the particular arrangement shown in the drawing butalso comprises any modifications within the scope of the appendedclaims.

What I claim is:

1. In an arrangement for self-service stores, which comprises adepositing table having a level surface for depositing the goods to bepurchased and to be cashiered, the combination of: a horizontal conveyorbelt means substantially coextensive with said table surface and havinga loading section adjacent said depositing table and also having adischarging section, a plurality of receiving compartments spaced fromsaid depositing table for receiving goods from said discharging sectionof said conveyor belt means, and substantially vertical stud meanspivotally supporting said conveyor belt means for selectively turningthe same about said stud means into posi- If a part of the I tion forregistering with any one of said compartments to unload thereinto therespective goods on said conveyor belt means.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, which includes wall means alongthe sides of said conveyor belt means for preventing accidentaldischarge of goods from said conveyor belt means to either side thereof.

3.1m an arrangement for self-service stores, which comprises adepositing table having a level surface for depositing the goods to bepurchased and to be cashiered, the combination of: a horizontal conveyorbelt means substantially coextensive with said table surface and havinga loading section adjacent said depositing table and also having adischarging section, supporting means for supporting said conveyor beltmeans, a plurality of receiving compartments spaced from said depositingtable for receiving goods from said discharging section, substantiallyvertical stud means arranged near said loading section and pivotallysupporting said conveyor belt m ans for selectively turning the sameabout said stud means into position for registering with any one of saidcompartments to unload thereinto the respective g ods on said conveyorbelt means, curved track means arranged adjacent said compartments, andwheel means supporting the discharging section of said conveyor beltmeans and movably supported by said curved track means.

4. In an arrangement for self-service stores, which comprises adepositing table having a level surface for depositing the goods to bepurchased and to be cashiered, the combination of: conveyor belt meanssubstantially coextensive with said table surface and having a loadingsection adjacent said depositing table and also having a dischargingsection, a plurality of receiving compartments spaced from saiddepositing table for receiving goods from said discharging section ofsaid conveyor belt means, said compartments being of a substantiallyrectangular contour and being arranged alongside each other, partitionmeans separating said compartments from each other, and substantiallyvertical stud means pivotally supporting said conveyor belt means forselectively turning the same about said stud means into position forregistering with any one of said compartments to unload thereinto therespective goods on said conveyor belt means.

5. In an arrangement for self-service stores, which comprises adepositing table having a level surface for depositing the goods to bepurchased and to be cashiered, the combination of conveyor belt meanssubstantially coextensive with said table surface and having a loadingsection adjacent said depositing table and also having a dischargingsection, a plurality of receiving compartments spaced from saiddepositing station for receiving goods from said discharging section,frame means supporting said conveyor belt means, said frame meansincluding substantially vertical stud means pivotally supporting saidconveying means for selectively turning the same about said stud meansinto position for registering with any one of said compartments tounload thereinto the respective goods on said conveyor belt means, andgate means tiltable about a substantially horizontal axis and connectedto said conveyor belt means for pivotal movement therewith about saidstud means, said gate means being selectively placeable into any one ofsaid compartments depending on the respective position of said conveyorbelt means and forming a bridge between the discharging section of saidconveyor belt means and the respective compartment.

6. An arrangement according to claim 5, in which said gate means has awidth substantially equalling the width of said conveyor belt means.

7. In an arrangement for self-service stores, which comprises adepositing table having a level surface for depositing the goods to bepurchased and to be cashiered, the combination of: conveyor belt meanssubstantially coextensive with said table surface and having a loadingsection adjacent said depositing table and also having a dischargingsection, a plurality of receiving compartments spaced from saiddepositing table for receiving goods from said discharging section ofsaid conveyor belt means, substantially vertical stud means pivotallysupporting said conveyor belt means for selectively turning the sameabout said stud means into position for registering with any one of saidcompartments to unload thereinto the respective goods on said conveyorbelt means, and a money tray extending above said receiving compartmentsand within reach of a cashier at said depositing table for receivingmoney from said money tray and placing change into said money tray, saidmoney tray extending in a direction transverse to the feeding directionof said conveyor belt means.

8. In an arrangement for self-service stores, which comprises adepositing station for depositing the goods to be purchased and to becashiered, the combination of: a conveyor belt having a loading sectionadjacent said depositing station and also having a discharging section,a plurality of receiving compartments spaced from said depositingstation for receiving goods from said discharging section of saidconveyor belt, supporting means for supporting said conveyor belt, aframe structure comprising a substantially vertical stud pivotallysupporting said supporting means for permitting movement of saidconveyor belt about the vertical axis of said stud, money a conveyorbelt having a loading section adjacent said depositing station and alsohaving a discharging section, a plurality of receiving compartmentsspaced from said depositing station for receiving goods from saiddischargingsection of said conveyor belt, supporting means forsupporting said conveyor belt, a frame structure comprising asubstantially vertical stud pivotally supporting said supporting meansfor permitting movement of said conveyor belt about the vertical axis ofsaid stud, money tray means arranged above said receiving compartments,change dispensing means connected to said supporting means for movementtogether with said conveyor belt about the vertical axis of said stud,said change dispensing a, means including spout means extending oversaid tray means when said conveyor belt registers with any one of saidcompartments, and a plurality of inclined plate means respectivelymounted on said money tray means above each of said compartments andextending in the direction toward said conveyor belt, said inclinedplate means being located Within the range of the path of movement ofsaid spout means but at a lower level than the latter so that in thevarious positions of said conveyor belt when registering with saidcompartments said spout means will be located above the respectiveinclined plate means.

10. An arrangement according to claim 9, in which said spout means isprovided with a central opening for the passage of coins therethrough.

11. An arrangement according to claim 8, in which said tray meanscomprises an upwardly inclined portion extending toward said conveyorbelt below the path of said spout means.

12. In an arrangement for self-service stores, the combination of: atable for depositing and cashiering the goods to be bought, a pluralityof discharge compartments adjacent thereto from which the individualcustomers withdraw their goods, a money tray extending over all saiddischarge compartments, said money tray being accessible to saidcustomers and to the cashier, a change dispenser positioned over saidmoney tray and reciprocal- 1y movable along substantially the entirelength of said money tray, said change dispenser having a changedispensing opening above said money tray.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,222,219 Lafont Apr. 10, 1917 1,507,301 Williams Sept. 2, 19242,679,354 Skillman May 25, 1954

1. IN AN ARRANGEMENT FOR SELF-SERVICE STORES, WHICH COMPRISES ADEPOSITING TABLE HAVING A LEVEL SURFACE FOR DEPOSITING THE GOODS TO BEPURCHASED AND TO BE CASHIERED, THE COMBINATION OF: A HORIZONTAL CONVEYORBELT MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID TABLE SURFACE AND HAVINGA LOADING SECTION ADJACENT SAID DEPOSITING TABLE AND ALSO HAVING ADISCHARGING SECTION, A PLURALITY OF RECEIVING COMPARTMENTS SPACED FROMSAID DEPOSITING TABLE FOR RECEIVING GOODS FROM SAID DISCHARGING SECTIONOF SAID CONVEYOR BELT MEANS, AND SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL STUD MEANSPIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID CONVEYOR BELT MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY TURNINGTHE SAME ABOUT SAID STUD MEANS INTO POSITION FOR REGISTERING WITH ANYONE OF SAID COMPARTMENTS TO UNLOAD THEREINTO THE RESPECTIVE GOODS ONSAID CONVEYOR BELT MEANS.